EMMITSBURG, Md. - Mary Dunn (Whippany, N.J./Morris Catholic) keyed a 17-2 run midway through the second half with eight free throws to lift Mount St. Mary's past Fairleigh Dickinson 83-76 in Northeast Conference (NEC) women's basketball action on Saturday. Dunn finished the game with 16 points and nine rebounds.

After the Knights (11-11-4-7 NEC) tied the game on a 3-pointer at 9:53, the Mount (5-17, 2-9 NEC) rolled off the next 10 points to take the lead it would not relinquish. Leah Westbrooks (Dublin, Ireland/Holy Faith Secondary School) gave the Mountaineers the lead for good on a layup at 9:30 and Sandra Andresson (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentes School) hit a jumper at 8:37 for a 62-58 lead. Dunn then scored the next six points at the free throw line by connecting on both free throws at 7:40, 7:27 and 6:17. Mariyah Laury momentarily halted the Mount's surge with two charity tosses at 5:56, but Dunn made two more at the five minute mark to restore the 10-point advantage at 70-60 and then the senior would add a traditional 3-point play at 3:40 to fuel the squad to the victory.

Dunn, who tied the program record for career starts with 110, finished the game a career-high 12-for-13 for the game from the free throw line and hit 2 of her 5 field goal attempts for her 16 points. Mount St. Mary's, the NEC's top free throw shooting team, made 30 of 42 attempts from the free throw line in the game compared to Fairleigh Dickinson's 9 of 12.

While Dunn was major contributor down the stretch, freshman Ashley Christie (Miamisburg, Ohio/Arcbishop Alter) paced the Mountaineers with a career-high 21 points. Westbrooks finished with a season-best 12 points and seven rebounds while Selina Mann (Gainesville, Va./Battlefield) tallied 14 points, six assists and four steals in the winning effort.

Jasmyra Saunders just missed tying her career high for Fairleigh Dickinson, finishing the game with 25 points. Mariyah Laury added 22 points off the bench and Danielle Pankey chipped in 14 points off the bench.

In a pivotal contest for Mount St. Mary's postseason hopes, the Mount took control of the game midway through the second half and never looked back to bring the Mountaineers within two games of the final playoff spot. A loss would have put Mount St. Mary's 4.5 games behind the Knights with seven games remaining.

Fueled by four points from Westbrooks, the Mount started the second half on an 8-0 run to take a 45-40 lead with 18:13 on the clock. With the Mountaineers holding a 56-51 edge with 13:14 left, Fairleigh Dickinson then scored seven of the next nine points to even the score at 58 with 9:53 left.

Ignited by Dunn's performance at the line and 11 points from the senior, Mount St. Mary's took a 75-60 lead with 3:40 left on a 17-2 run. The Knights cut the margin to 81-74 with 50 ticks left, but could get no closer.

Sparked by four points apiece from Mann and Westbrooks, the Mount jumped out to a 17-9 lead with 12:17 left in the first half. Fairleigh Dickinson rallied with a 25-10 run to grab a 34-27 margin with 5:34 on the clock in the stanza. Saunders powered the spurt with 11 points. The Knights went into the locker room with a 40-37 advantage. Mount St. Mary's then charged back to take the lead and after Fairleigh Dickinson tied the game at 58 won the game at the foul line.

It was the third time this season a Mount St. Mary's player hit 10 free throws in a contest and the most since Dunn made 12 against Sacred Heart on Jan. 17, 2009.

Dunn, who has recorded double figures in 10 of the 11 league games, became the 21st player in program history to reach 1,100 points for her career. It was Westbrooks' first start of the season and first since Feb. 25, 2010 since Saint Francis (Pa.). The senior came into the contest with 13 points and nearly matched the total on Saturday.

Andresson narrowly missed becoming the fifth starter in double figures and finished the afternoon with nine points.

Mount St. Mary's returns to action on Monday at Knott Arena against Monmouth. Game time is 7 p.m.